First Year Dorm-ing

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

Being Editor in Chief of the Free Press has some perks. One of those is finding out information before most other students on campus. This week I had the chance to break the news about a change in freshman housing on campus.

For years and years, it was traditional for students to be separated by gender in their freshman year. This fall, the incoming class of 2017 will experience something that other classes have not – coeducational housing. Both Whiteford (previously all girls) and Rouzer (previously all boys) will now be coed by floor and by wing.

This makes McDaniel similar to most other colleges around the country, but does it sacrifice one of those unique ‘rites of passage’ that students have grown to accept, and even like?

Looking back on my freshmen experience, I originally thought it was weird to not live with any boys in the building. But then I saw the boys’ dorm and the constant mess and I was grateful to be sharing with girls only. It didn’t prevent the girls from getting to know the boys, but it helped create more camaraderie among sexes.

Overall, I don’t think the change will be that different and I think that it is a good decision for the college, even if it does eliminate one of McDaniel’s unique characteristics.

Cold and Compromise: Living with a Roommate

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Robert

Roommates are tough business. You’re cooped up in a tiny box with one for a full year and let’s face it, you could be the most unobjectionable, peaceful person and you will still want to punch your roommate in the face after a semester of daily interaction. Their stuff will end up on your side and you’ll complain about their mess, but then you’ll do the same thing a week later, one of you will want to stay up late, one of you will want to have friends over really late; there are countless little differences that will come between you and all of a sudden you’ll wonder how you ever thought living with your best friend was a good idea.

My freshman year, the guy I lived with for my first semester was a little nerdy and had an insatiable taste for Perry the Platypus, messy living habits, and an early bedtime. Now there are worse roommates out there. I hear stories of roommates who would steal and break each others’ stuff (mostly girls) because of small arguments about missing hair brushes and jealousy. Still, I had a friend down the hall whose roommate was also friends with my roommate and I proposed a switch. My bestfriend and I have a lot in common. We both love soccer, hanging out with friends, and Family Guy; yet there is still one thing that he and I disagree on: the temperature of the room.

I cannot stand being even a little cold. Temperatures below 50 degrees might as well be sub-arctic since I get the same amount of sleep as if it was -10 degrees. I think I may have a circulation problem in my legs that allows my feet to freeze before any other part of my body. In any case, my roommate sweats in his sleep even if the room is below freezing. This difference has caused many fights since he likes to keep the window on his side of the room open in order to sleep better.

Finally, the other day, we came to an agreement. I would sleep with my socks on if he closed the window during the day, and so far it has been working. I’m still cold in the room during the day because our heater doesn’t work but that is something I’ll need to take up with my RA. For now bundling up in hoodies and sweats will get the job done. Living with a roommate isn’t easy, but it is better when you come into a problem with a mind to compromise and work things out.

Kickin’ it with my housemates

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Amber Slater

One of the best parts of college life is how quickly relationships form and how intense they become because we are constantly around each other. Though I only knew one member of the Spanish house before I moved in, I consider living here one of the best decisions I’ve made in college.

There are ten of us living in the house right now, and if you go into our living room at night, probably about half of us are there watching a movie, doing homework, or just hanging out. Some of my housemates have even made a habit of going on runs together at night. Most importantly, we all share a love of eating and someone is constantly making snacks in the kitchen.

Tonight was the last night we will all be together for about a week due to Thanksgiving break, so we spent the night watching I Am Legend and talking about what sorts of leftover Thanksgiving food we plan on bringing back to the house to share. As I was watching the movie tonight, I felt so blessed to have grown so close with such amazing and interesting people in the span of just a few months.

While I’m definitely excited to head home for a few days and relax with my family, I know that I’ll miss my late-night hangouts with my housemates during these next few days of break. This semester has been a tough one, and I owe a lot to the people I live with for always putting a smile on my face. This is one of the great joys of college life that I doubt we’ll find again: creating a second family through the friends you meet.

Moving to the Spanish House

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Amber Slater

After studying in Costa Rica last semester, I found myself yearning for Spanish. I blasted Spanish music in my car and tried to read Spanish newspapers, but I missed being immersed in the language. I missed the consistency, the stumbles, and the feeling of pride that grew with my conversation skills.

Luckily, I was offered a chance to relive the immersion experience when I moved back to campus and was offered a spot in the Spanish house. I gladly accepted and signed the contract, promising that I would only speak Spanish in the house, attend tertulias (conversation hours), and keep the house clean.

There are 10 of us in the house, and only three are not native speakers. There is a pleasant mix of Spanglish and slang, and I’m excited to pick up new vocabulary from my housemates. I’m also hoping to learn some new recipes and cook my favorite foods for everyone in the house. The other day, my roommate made Dominican juice, a mix of orange juice and milk, and I definitely want to make it for my own family the next time I go home.

I’ve attended two tertulias so far, and last night we discussed the theme of friendship. I was able to learn more about my housemates as we talked about our past friendships, and also learned some different terms for the word “friend” in Spanish. Additionally, we were all assigned an amigo invisible, or invisible friend, for whom we’ll secretly be making presents for the next who weeks. I’ve already decided what I want to give my assigned friend, and I’m excited for the night we get to reveal who we are!

Even though I’m far from Costa Rica, I still feel that I’m gaining an international experience and becoming more globally aware this year through living at the Spanish house. It’s already promising to be a great experience full of new vocabulary, friends, and experiences.

Apartment Life

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

One of the perks of reaching seniority on campus is the housing options. While students are only required to live on campus for their first three years (unless commuting), they are guaranteed housing for all four years. Since the housing options get nicer each year, many students will chose to live on campus for their entire undergraduate career.

This year I am living in North Village, a nice, newer, apartment style complex slightly removed from the physical campus with its own quad area. North Village is typically for senior students, however, there are the occasional lucky juniors or sophomores who get to live here.

I chose to live with 5 other girls, so to say our apartment is always interesting would be an understatement. Since we’ve only been here a week, we are still getting into routines and trying to decorate our kitchen, living room, and hallway.

We also lucked out because 5 of our guy friends live in an apartment downstairs from us. This means we don’t even have to leave the building and we automatically have 11 people to hang out with. So far, we have had movie nights, video game marathons, and even a family dinner. (Of course the girls were in charge of cooking but the boys were nice enough to do the dishes after.)

I’ve had many people ask me if I’m crazy for living in a six person apartment. But I figure this is my last year at school and when else will I be able to live with five of my best friends again?

Move-in Weekend

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Annie Brown

The problem with having the privilege of an upperclassman to move in at any time I want, is that inevitably, I’ll show up a lot later than originally planned. This of course, is what happened. Though I had planned to move in at some point during the three o’clock hour yesterday, on Saturday, I didn’t get here until three hours later. (I’m very much at fault though since I left most of my packing for yesterday morning. An unplanned pit stop to Ikea, my first trip ever, also resulted in a delay.)

When I finally got here though, it really didn’t feel like I had been gone for four months, except for the fact that most of the people I saw on my way to get my key weren’t people I recognized. Besides the inevitable new faces, the other major change is the fact that I’m in a different room than I was in last year but because I live in Honors housing, I still live in the same building. I’m thrilled to be living in a single this year. I love being able to have my own space, and because it’s a super single, it’s nice and spacious.

Honors students, like me, can choose to live in Honors housing, which is housed in Daniel McClea Hall, much more commonly known on campus as DMC. What’s neat about it is that it’s suite style, meaning that the building is divided into several suites which each have a varying number of bedrooms, at least two bathrooms, and a common room. DMC is coed and freshmen Honors students are also allowed to live in DMC, so though I’m a sophomore, my suite is actually mostly comprised of freshmen (seven in all).

When I moved in, I got to meet a few of my freshmen suitemates pretty quickly, and they seem like nice people. I’m definitely still trying to figure everyone out and what living with them will be like. It’s certainly an adjustment living with new people, especially ones you’ve never met, but I think it’s an important part of the college experience. My friend Sam lives in my suite this year, so there is a familiar face, which I appreciate.

After moving all of my things up four flights of stairs, my parents and I went out to a quite a late dinner at Harry’s Main Street Grille on Main Street right here in Westminster. I’d been there once last spring when my uncle and cousin visited me, and we liked it, so I thought my parents would enjoy it was well. Harry’s menu has a lot of options and prices are reasonable. (And since it was the end of restaurant week, prices were even lower.) Afterward, we picked up some forgotten and needed items (including the ever-necessary snacks, cereal, and soup) at Target on Rt. 140.

It was a little bittersweet to say goodbye to my parents when we got back to DMC, but once they left, I was able to reconnect with Avery, one of my best friends on campus and her housemates, many of whom I’m also friends with. I’m not sure what I did without late-night chitchat for four months, because it was awesome to laughing and talking with people my age again.

Overall, I’d say that though I had a late start, I had a great start to the semester. I definitely didn’t have time to unpack it in one evening, and I’m not finished yet, but I’ll get it done over the next few days!

Stories from the Hill

Tag Archives: Housing